Humble traffic stop turns into immigration probe

More than a dozen illegal immigrants, including four children, were discovered riding in a van that was stopped for speeding on U.S. 59 in Humble last night.

Officers stopped the van on the Eastex Freeway near Townsen about 8 p.m. Thursday, according to the Humble Police Department. The van was traveling northbound when it was stopped.

Police said officers contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement after they interviewed the people inside and received conflicting or confusing explanations about what they were doing or where they were going.

ICE officials said 17 people, including four juveniles, were in the van. Fifteen of the people — 13 males and two females — have been determined to be in the country illegally, said Greg Palmore, an ICE spokesman.

Palmore said two of the people who were identified as drivers are expected to be handed over to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. It is unclear, he added, if they are legally in the country.

The illegal immigrants are from Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico, Palmore said. They appeared to be good condition. Palmore said he did not know the juveniles’ ages or genders.

The people are being held at a ICE detention center. ICE is investigating the case.

Palmore said it is common for people to move through Houston after they enter the country illegally.

“Houston is a hub for human smuggling in the United States,” he said. “Individuals pass through to fan out across the country.”